Downtown Blaze Leaves 6 Homeless Allentown

An early morning fire in center city Allentown Sunday left six people homeless, officials said.

The cause of the 2:10 a.m. fire at 502 N. 6th St. is still being investigated and two firefighters received minor injuries, city fire specialist Tom Carl said.

The fire appears to have started in the building's second-floor apartment and spread to the third floor. Smoke and water damage also was reported to one of two apartments on the first floor. The second first-floor apartment was vacant, fire and Red Cross officials said.

Flames from the fire were shooting 20 to 30 feet in the air when firefighters arrived, Carl said.

Four adults and one child were living in the second-floor apartment, said Carla Hickey, of the Lehigh and Northampton Red Cross. A single adult was living in the first-floor apartment. All six were given Red Cross housing, food and clothing vouchers, Hickey said.

Firefighters remained at the scene for more than four hours, Carl said.